First home project step may be a permit

In addition to knowing when they need to get a permit, homeowners need to remember that they should never pull the permit themselves unless they are actually doing the work. Instead, let the contractor pull the permit from the city. If a contractor asks someone else to pull a permit, they either may not be correctly licensed to do the work, or they may be trying to absolve themselves from liability.

“If something happens to a home as a result of faulty workmanship, the insurance company may not cover the damages if you didn’t get a permit and have the work inspected and approved by the city,” says Mike Bratcher of Brachter Electric, (734) 722-0037, www.bratcherelectric.com. “That’s particularly true with electrical work, because faulty workmanship could lead to an electrical fire in the home.”

So from now on, when a contractor gives you the overall job pricing sheet, make sure that all permit fees are included in the price. That way you’ll really have the total cost of the job.